Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Jalapenos and Baked Vegetables

A few days ago I was a little rushed for time (I'm sure I'm the only one right?), and I wanted to do something that was tasty, relatively easy to prepare, and (for the most part) healthy. So I whipped together the Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast, but didn't get any photos of it. So, last night I did it again, but this time took some photos to share on the blog site.

The first part of the meal was the Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast with Diced Jalapeno Peppers and Low-fat Cheeses.

Ingredients:
2 Large Chicken Breast, cut in half lengthwise
8 Strips of Bacon
1/4 cup Low-fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Low-fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 Large Fresh Jalapeno Peppers

Since my wife isn't a pepper person, I only used one jalapeno, and left her's "Virgin". Also, I de-seeded the jalapeno before using it. If you like more heat, you can leave the seeds. Without the seeds, it's relatively mild, but you still get that yummy jalapeno flavor. Another note, I normally use the thin sliced bacon, but accidentally bought the Thick sliced last time I was at the store. The thinner bacon cooks faster, and crisps up better for this recipe.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.
Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, and place them cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. You can spray the foil with cooking spray first if you wish, but the bacon will stop your breasts from sticking.
Next, wrap two pieces of bacon around each breast, lengthwise, and tuck the ends under the breast.
--NOTE--
Because I was using the Thick bacon instead of the regular bacon, I flipped the oven to Broil at 400 degrees for 5 minutes the get the bacon started crisping.
Otherwise...
Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes, then flip each breast over, add the chopped peppers to the tops of each breast and return to oven for and additional 10 minutes.
While the chicken is in the oven, combine the two types of cheeses.
Remove the chicken again, and top each with the cheese mixture. Return to the oven for about 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Voila! The Chicken is ready to enjoy!

-----

Next is the side dish, which I actually cooked at the same time as the chicken above, but placed it in the oven 20 minutes BEFORE I put in the chicken. This dish is just Oven Roasted Vegetables with Herbs.

Ingredients:
4-5 Small Yukon Gold Potatoes
4-5 Large Carrots
1 Medium Onion
5 Cloves of Garlic
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Rosemary
3-4 Tbsp Olive Oil

The amounts of each vegetable can be adjusted to your personal taste.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Wash & dry the Potatoes & Carrots, and cut into 1"-2" pieces. Then throw them into a 9"x13" oven safe casserole dish.
Peel and cut Onion into 1"-2" pieces, and add to the casserole dish.
Peel Garlic cloves and toss into casserole dish.
Sprinkle Olive Oil over veggies and stir to coat.
Sprinkle Oregano and Rosemary over veggies and stir to mix.
Pop casserole dish into the oven for 45-60 minutes depending on how tender you want them.
Take them out and enjoy!



As with any recipe, feel free to experiment with the ingredients. If you aren't a fan of rosemary, but love the taste of sage, swap it out. Love potatoes, but not carrots? Reduce or remove the carrots from the ingredients, and use extra potatoes. To me, cooking is more than just following a recipe, that's why until recently, I rarely wrote any of my recipes down. I guess I cook with my heart, and not my brain. Good thing.

I hope this recipe sounds good to you, and that you make it, or make it your own. Be sure to come back soon, and check out my latest experiment, and tell your food lovin' friends to stop by too! I'm always glad to have the company.

Until next time, Happy Baking!
Jerry


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